Use online social networking to the max

Use online social networking to the max - Pretty much every musician has a MySpace page, but now there's so much more available to promote your music online. Twitter, for example, lets musicians connect with fans on a more personal and casual basis through short updates and replies - just be sure not to sound too promotional. Cllct.com, a community specifically for music lovers and artists, can give you access to a more targeted and musically-passionate group of people than general social networking sites. Starting a blog on popular, free services such as blogspot.com or wordpress.com - and updating it regularly - also helps ensure that you keep hold of people's attention.

Karl Ostby, singer and guitarist in Chicago indie rock band Pet Lions, recommends Facebook as a way to get people out to gigs. "I think Facebook events are basically the new word of mouth for local bands," Ostby says. "Those still help us spread the word about upcoming shows and they're a lot more convenient and more personal than putting up posters all over the city. Our friends can invite their friends and so on. We made sure to bring out some good crowds at out first few shows, and that made booking future gigs much easier."